Wishful Dilemma
by LynneDysis
Summary: Due to incompetent Other World employees, Bardock was wished back to life just after Frieza's demise. How will he adapt to life on earth- if he will adapt at all? And who is the mysterious saiyan named Cardage?
1. Chapter 1

_"Goku then flies to Frieza's spaceship and presses buttons to try to cause the ship to fly, however it does not work and Frieza's spaceship falls into the lava. He quickly escapes Namek using one of the Ginyu Force space pods. The pod takes Goku to Planet Yardrat, which was going to be the Ginyu Force's next target.[145] His friends, who were teleported to Earth by a wish made with the Namekian Dragon Balls, believe him to be dead. However, months later, when they attempt to revive Goku and Krillin by warping them to the check-in station, they learn that Goku is alive. When they decide to transport him back to Earth, he declines, stating that he'll return later." - Dragonball Wiki_

**Hello and thank you for checking out this story! The above quotation is the basis for what is to come, and is a direct abbreviation of the events of the Frieza saga. These events will be twisted to create an alternate reality in which Bardock is revived. If this goes against your typical idea of Dragonball, by all means, exit the story now. I do not own Dragonball, Dragonball Z, or Dragonball GT nor do I own any affiliated products or works. All rights belong to the respective creators and developers of the anime and manga.**

"This is most unusual, King Kai." said a slightly annoyed King Yemma. His desk was cluttered with all manner of paperwork. It would seem King Kai was speaking telepathically to him from his planet. The paperwork all suggested Goku had been killed by Frieza, as despite his clairyoance, he was under the exact same impression as the Z fighters; That Goku had perished in that fateful fight. While Frieza had not appeared, neither had Goku at that check-in station. However, it was possible that they were merely spirit clouds and slipped under the radar. Yemma's confusion became even more apparant at the request that he could not seem to decipher- to bring Goku back to life with his friend Krillin. Both had died once previously, making this an even larger mess, though it was made known quickly that these were the dragonballs of Namek.

"Goku hasn't stopped in, and I haven't heard anything of him dying again so quickly. Are you certain he's up here with us?"

"He has to be!" King Kai shouted. "Have your guys check the HFIL. He did fall into it once, remember? How are we supposed to know if he didn't or not?"

"I suppose that's true... Alright. One of you idiots standing around doing nothing, go down there and ask if anyone resembling Goku has been spotted!"

A lone blue-skinned demon in a semi-casual outfit timidly headed off, scared of his employer. There was a short wait before the demon returned with a spirit cloud, greatly confusing Yemma and King Kai.

"This one has the same aura as that Goku guy that came by here not too long ago, sir."

"Prepostrous! Goku had a body when he died last time!" Yemma slammed a fist on his desk, not amused by the abrupt and seemingly lazy search. It wasn't until King Kai interrupted that things calmed down.

"Wait, Yemma! Goku became a super saiyan during the fight with Frieza! It's possible the rage that filled his heart corrupted him too much to let him keep his body when he came back, see?" explained the Kai, nodding with a smirk in approval of his own theory. Yemma nodded, beginning to understand and agree. The spirit stayed silent, observing the events before it.

"Alright, I guess all of that makes sense. Krillin should be arriving any second now to return with Kami. You can tag along with them or we can send you back to Earth now. What'll it be, Goku?"

The spirit remained silent.

"Somebody's moody today. super saiyans have quite the atmosphere around them, don't they?" Yemma joked. "King Kai, next time Goku dies, he is YOUR responsibility, are we clear?"

There was a pause, and then "yes, sir" from King Kai before communication ceased. Krillin arrived, then Kami, and Yemma informed them of Goku's status. A small conversation about it took place before the three of them were off.

"Good job..." Yemma said to himself, leaning back in his chair. "A whole day of relatively stress free work. It's been a good day."

"Um... Sir?" said the blue demon.

"Yes, what is it?"

"That spirit... Well, it was actually a man named Bardock. We just double-checked and Shenron said Goku was still alive, so I did some double checking, and cross refenced some papers, and-"

"IDIOT!" shouted Yemma. "You just let loose a long dead Saiyan warrior on Earth!"

We can asume the blue demon was fired for his poor judgment.

Back in Bulma's yard...

"Wait, Goku is still alive?" asked Gohan, confused. "Then who did Kami come back with?"

"Hehe..." a slight chuckle from the entrance to the building, followed by the shadow of a man who looked like Goku. As he came further into the light, his saiyan armor became noticable, and the red headband stood against his jet hair. His smirk was rather wide, and his definition was immense. This man was not Goku, but boy did he look like him.

"W-what the-" Next came Piccolo, taking a guarding stance and practically stepping in front of Gohan. Next to the man was Krillin, who didn't seem to realize he was next to a saiyan warrior.

"Krillin, behind you!" shouted Piccolo. The bald man turned to see the intimidating saiyan warrior, who didn't seem to want a fight with him. Rather, he nodded to Krillin as if to greet him. The armor probably made him think Krillin was a saiyan.

"So, what planet did I just get stuck on?" asked the man. His physical resemblance to Goku aside from the scar on his cheek was entirely betrayed by the gruff, hardened voice he had.

"Huh?" Krillin stepped away, seeing that he wasn't in immediate danger, to greet his friends. There was a momentary reunion, but the stranger had them all on guard. Shenron vanished without a word, and with him, so did the dragonballs. Chi-chi seemed far less than amused.

"Alright, somebody better start explaining or I'm going to start swinging!" she exclaimed, in particular staring down Krillin. "How did you not see that this isn't Goku? Idiot, you let them bring back the wrong saiyan!"

"Allow me to answer that one." a voice from the sky came to Piccolo. The voice was King Kai. "See, that's kind of my mistake. We thought Goku was dead, and this guy's aura was so similar, we sent him instead. He was a spirit though, so I thought Goku's transformation made him impure. So, if anyone's reponsible for this mixup, it's me."

"How noble." Piccolo scoffed, turning to Chi-chi who was currently kicking Krillin in anger. "King Kai says this guy has Goku's aura and they made a mistake. That would explain why Shenron said Goku isn't dead. But the question remains..." his attention turned to the saiyan. "Who are you that you look and seem so similar to Goku."

"I asked first, pal. Where am I?" answered the man.

"Earth. Your saiyan kind is welcome here as long as you're not out for blood like the others." Piccolo explained.

"Others? Wait, did you say Earth? My son Kakarot was sent here to conquer the place!"

"Y-your... Son?" Krillin stuttered, taking a step back. "T-then you're Goku's father? That would explain a lot..."

"What's a Goku? I'm Kakarot's father!" the man snapped. "Bardock!"

Piccolo sighed, taking a step forward. He didn't seem afraid of the man at all.

"Goku is what Earthlings call your son. And while he was sent here to conquer it, he ended up becoming its defender, along with some of the others you see here." he smirked, pointing behind him at Gohan. "Including his son, Gohan. Now as I said, saiyans are welcome here, but if you make a move on any of us or threaten the Earth, don't be surprised to find yourself on all our bad sides."

Bardock took a minute to stare. Gohan... So, he was a grandfather.

"Gohan, Goku, Earth... All of this is news to me. But honestly, I could care less about fighting any of you. Tell me, why am I here?"

There was a moment of silence, and the wind blowing harder than usual, before Piccolo answered.

"You were wished back to life by the dragonballs by accident while we were trying to wish back your son. The short bald one is his friend Krillin, who died at Frieza's hand... And then Goku obliterated Frieza." the namek new exactly what he was doing. By glorifying Goku to his father, he was ensuring that all of them would be unharmed. He wasn't afraid to fight, but he also wasn't sure he could win right here either.

"Kakarot... defeated Frieza?" Bardock exclaimed. "I can't believe that my son with a power level of two defeated the strongest warrior in the universe! What kind of trick are you pulling?"

Gohan spoke up.

"Hey, my dad's a lot stronger than that! He took on Vegeta and Frieza and the Ginyu Force and beat them all!"

Bardock actually started to laugh.

"You must be joking! One warrior couldn't possibly best even one member of the Ginyu Force, let alone my king or Frieza!"

"It's no joke! Goku's a super saiyan!" Krillin chipped in. By this point Bardock's laughter ceased. These people knew of his race's legends. Yet this primitive planet seemed to be too weak a place for any proper warrior. The gravity was very light and the air was much more friendly to the lungs. How anybody became battle hardened and ready to fight Frieza here was inconceivable. And yet... They knew what a super saiyan was.

"Alright, you've piqued my interest. Where is Kakarot now? I want to see my son's true power."

"Again, I can answer that!" King Kai's voice once again came to Piccolo, but this time it also came to Bardock. "Goku told me to tell you all he's training on another planet right now. He'll be bac as soon as he can be! I didn't mention Bardock to him yet though. I wanted to save that surprise for when he gets back, if that's alright."

"That's fine, King Kai. Thank you." Piccolo turned to the group. "Alright, Goku is going to be back eventually, but for now we should welcome Bardock, since it seems he's not here for a fight."

Chi-chi this time stepped forward.

"Well, if he plans on staying here he'd better catch up with his grandson!"

"You there, namek... Who is this loud woman?" asked Bardock.

"That's your son's wife."

This actually caused Bardock to bow in respect. It seems saiyans are not above proper greeting. Gohan approached his grandfather, and then Krillin, and the others who had remained silent too.

"You'll need to excuse us if we're a little cautious around saiyans in that armor. The last three tried to kill us."

"Three? You had only mentioned king Vegeta earlier."

"Not king. Prince. And with him was a bulky bald one named Nappa. But before both of them was your other son Raditz."

"Raditz is here too?"

"No, I'm afraid we had to kill him to save Gohan. He was out of control. I take full responsibility for his death, since it was my attack that ended his life."

"I see." Bardock's expression hardly changed. Battle hardened saiyans never showed care for fallen comrades. But, just then, it did. To anger, and then concern, and finally back to a neutral state, all so quickly that it was well hidden by a change in posture. He made a mental note to honor the fallen son later, in private, as to not show weakness to these people. "And the prince?"

"Vegeta should still be on Earth somewhere. He was killed and revived by Frieza. Though I warn you, he's not exactly friendly to us. And I imagine you'll be treated as Goku was to him, which if I may say was a lot like a peon. Like somebody who could die and he wouldn't care in his entire life."

"Yeah, that sounds like the prince alright. If we're done here, I'm curious to meet him. I'm not ready to accept all of you as allies just yet, but I don't see a reason to make enemies out of you either."

Without a word, Bardock flew off in an unknown direction. The Z fighters and their families remained silent, baffled by the events that had taken place. Gohan seemed more eager than frightened, while Chi-chi was steaming mad that he abandoned his family. Piccolo and Krillin seemed neutral, and Bulma broke the tension, speaking for the first time since Shenron vanished.

"Well, there's not a whole lot we can do right now. And if he's not out to get us, why think too hard about it? Let's just go enjoy ourselves with some snacks and welcome Krillin back!"

"I like the sound of relaxing for once." said Krillin, as the group headed into the Capsule Corporation building. Little did they know, in the days far ahead of them, a young half saiyan was doing battle against fearsome enemies as the last remaining Z fighter.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I understand that OCs are not exactly what anybody had in mind going into this story, reading it or writing it. But, it is slowly becoming a requirement as I plot out the script to involve somebody new. The reason for this will become known as the story unfolds. Please bear with me.**

**This OC is from Dragonball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi's Hero Mode. The events of that alternate Earth have been altered so that he may be included here.**

**Chapter 2**

_Despite his slow adjustment to the life of an Earthling, Bardock eventually became subordinate to Vegeta, the two sparring with one another often not as friends, but as kindered spirits. Vegeta became very strong very fast, as did Bardock, but would it be enough? Quite a bit of time passed between Bardock's arrival on Earth and the moment in time as it is now. But time has a funny way of becoming irrelevent, when a visitor from the future emerges bearing a warning._

"So, my son beat you when you first showed up huh?" asked Bardock, a hand moving up to block Vegetas high kick. The shock caused a fair gust of wind.

"Kakarot was held back by foolish sentiments. He didn't even have enough strength to defeat me on his own. His fat friend with the sword cut off my tail!" Vegeta threw his weight into his other leg, spinning his body around Bardock's forearm to get out of the counterattack he new was coming. Next came a downward kick toward the low classes head, which was skillfully parried with another arm block that lead into a strike to the gut.

"Kakarot's lost in space somewhere though. And with Frieza gone, we're both free men! I don't see a reason to not rebuild our proud society. Why are you still hanging to the prince title? The throne is yours, you know!"

The fighting stopped, and Vegeta took a few breaths in to catch the wind that was just knocked out of him.

"No king can be weaker than his men, and as it stands right now I am not the strongest of the saiyans. Though I'll never admit this to Kakarot, his acension to super saiyan baffled me and filled me with rage. Though I am glad it was a saiyan that finally brought Frieza down-if he truly succeeded-I can't help but despise him for reaching such power before I, who was destined for power!"

"Heh, whatever you say your highness." there was a pause in which both the saiyans felt a familiar power. Very faint and very far, but it was there. And neither of them liked it.

"You feel that, right?" asked Vegeta. Bardock simply nodded, and scowled. The two rushed off to as close as they could pinpoint where the energy was. It was several minutes of silence before they saw the Z fighters gathered; Apparently they had felt it as well. Gohan, Krillin and Yamcha were in front, with Piccolo keeping a close eye from a higher point, and for some reason Bulma was there, in the back.

"What are you doing here?" Bulma asked the two.

"As if two saiyans who felt the disgusting energy of Frieza would simply stay indoors and play card games or something?" Vegeta snapped. "Where is he? If that oaf Kakarot failed, then we will take his place. Frieza must die at the hands of a saiyan!" his power started rising dramatically. Only Bardock's and Piccolo's warnings calmed the prince, as the group remained hidden for some time. Finally, a ship began to descend, and a group of people from it. One of them was Frieza, all right, but he looked mangled and broken. Next to him was a large man, King Cold, and with them a scattered remnant of the soldiers from his last excursion. They seemed to be talking for a while, until another man appeared before them with purple hair and an interesting outfit, complete with a sword. In a flurry of motions, the man incapacitated Frieza's men with power beyond comprehension. And despite it being beyond that, Bardock and Vegeta joined the fray.

"Stop! He must die by a saiyan's hand!" shouted Vegeta.

The boy smirked.

"Oh don't worry, he will."

And all at once the already immeasurable power radiating from the boy doubled, then tripled, then magnified to a level that actually made the two squint and step back. Dust and debris started rising from the earth, and when it all cleared, the boy had golden hair standing on end, dancing like a wild fire.

All they could do was gawk.

"Now kindly step back into your little ship, Frieza, or it's the end of you here." he said. When Frieza declined in the form of a supernova strike, the boy lifted it with just one hand and threw it right back. Before the dust and lights cleared, both the boy and Frieza were in the air, and the boy cut Frieza clean in half. Then, when his father began urging him to join the conquest that he was on, he responded by blowing a hole through his chest, killing him instantly.

"You... You struck them down like it was nothing! Is this the power of the legendary super saiyan?" Bardock exclaimed, all but heralding this newcomer. "We thought we were the only saiyans left, who are you," he asked, "and how did you hone that kind of power?"

"Goku will be returning shortly. Follow me if you want, but I'm meeting him, and I'll explain everything there."

The other Z fighters followed after hearing the message, and not too long a time passed before Goku came hurdling back to Earth in a Ginyu pod. When he emerged, he was in a ridiculous outfit that almost caused Krillin to burst out laughing, but his joy at seeing his best friend outweighed his laughter. A heartfelt reunion between everyone took place, Goku's cheerful demeanor giving nearly every face a smile.

Except two.

"I hardly recognize you, Kakarot." said Bardock.

"Hm? Have we met?" Goku replied. He immediately caught sight of the tail wrapped around the man's body like a belt. "You're a saiyan? Cool! Me too! Though I don't really go by Kakarot."

"I've heard. Goku is it?"

"That's me! Who're you? A friend of Vegeta's?"

"Your father."

Other than Goku's surprise, not a single other face was concerned by this man. They got their shock out of the way a while ago.

"My... My father? But, didn't you die pretty much the day after I was born?"

"It wasn't right away!" he folded his arms. "And your friends here wished me back by accident. Though I'm enjoying the freedom you gave me and the entirety of the saiyan race from Frieza. You have my thanks, Kak- Goku."

"Aw, geez." Goku laughed shyly and began scratching the back of his head. "He was gonna kill everyone if I didn't do something..."

"Regardless, you've made me proud. Vegeta, you said we were the only saiyans left; you, me, Gohan and Kakarot. Why didn't you mention this guy?"

"Hm?" Goku's attention turned to the man with purple hair. "He's a saiyan too? Vegeta, you sure Frieza wiped our race out? We seem to be popping up out of nowhere a lot."

"Idiots! I've never seen him before!" Vegeta exclaimed. "But, he has the power to transform into a super saiyan, like you, Kakarot. He may be stronger than you."

"First my dad, and now another super saiyan. Gosh guys, you sure did have a lot going on while I was gone."

"Actually, Goku, can I talk to you in private for a minute?" asked the boy. The two of them flew off to another area close by. There, the boy revealed his name as Trunks, and told of how he was Vegeta's son and Bulma's daughter. Goku almost blew his secret by shouting it, but he silenced quickly after realizing his volume. Trunks then went on to explain that soon, everybody was going to die at the hands of the androids that were coming, and how in his time, he was the last of the Z fighters. Oh, and that he's from the future. That's kind of important, too. But most important of all, he urged Goku to speak not a word of it to anybody, as it compromises his birth. Other than notifying them of the androids, and that this warning from the future was serious, there could be no details of the conversation revealed. Trunks then informed Goku that he was to die of a heart virus, and that there was no cure... Except in his time. He had brought the medication to Goku, so that he could fight the androids with them.

"Wow, you sure know how to drop a bombshell on a guy as he gets home, Trunks. But okay, I'll trust your word. But then, who was the other guy with you?"

"Other guy?" Trunks took a look back to see that another man had arrived. His hair was swept to one side and spiked upward, but it was also a shade of purple much like his own. His clothing was some form of armor, but not saiyan armor, and his posture dictated that he was trained. A scouter and a tail revealed him to be a saiyan.

"I 've never seen him before... But then, your father being alive also never happened in my time. Maybe just coming back in time has changed things already?"

"Could be. Let's go check it out."

As they arrived again, Vegeta seemed both proud and confused. So many saiyans in one place, even though he believed them to be exterminated. There was hope for his people yet.

"... Wait a second, you're from another reality?" Krillin asked.

"Yes. In my reality, Earth was turned into a chaotic mess. Everybody with a grudge against the saiyans was wished back to life and to be sent to Earth. I can't stop them alone... So, I asked the Kami of my reality if there was a way to find even stronger warriors. He allowed me to wish on the dragonballs to be sent to a place where those who could help me save my reality would be. Shenron sent me here, to this Earth, which he says is one of an infinite amount of alternate Earths."

"Infinite?"

"Ah, the multiverse theory." Vegeta spoke up. "We often used it to joke back on planet Vegeta that somewhere, our kind had already defeated Frieza. I suppose if your story is true, then you're from such a universe?"

"I'm not sure... All I now is that in order to get home, I have to wish on this world's Shenron to go back to the exact moment in my time in my universe that I left. I'm hoping to become much stronger while I'm here."

Goku spoke up next.

"Actually, we could probably use your help, too. What's your name?"

"Cardage"

"Alright, pleased to meet you. I'm Goku!" he bowed to the man, who bowed back in respect. Vegeta and Bardock took note of his very saiyan name, and stayed silent.

"Well, you're actually right on time if you want to get stronger. We're about to start a massive spree of training!"

Goku went on to relay everything Trunks had told him, about the androids and about the future, omitting the details of his origins. Three years is all the time they could be given to train to fight these androids. At first, the group seemed untrusting, but with Goku's encouragement, they agreed and set off. Bardock and Vegeta trained together, as did Krillin and Yamcha. Everybody who was to fight trained against their equal, except for Goku, who trained with his son. The shock of Bardock finally faded from his mind, as Bardock showed no fatherly interest in his son, and Goku never really considered him a father anyway. Cardage found himself training with a man named Tien, and soon abandoned his heavy armor for a lightweight monk gi.

Three years of training, here they come.


End file.
